In general, absorbent articles should comfortably fit the body of a wearer. Conventional absorbent articles include an absorbent pad having an absorbent core contained in a wrap comprising a first outer cover tissue and/or a second bodyside liner tissue.
However, in conventional structures, the outer cover is typically adhesively secured to the tissue of the absorbent pad. In such embodiments, extending the outer cover in the cross-direction extends the absorbent pad in the cross-direction. In such embodiments, the force used to extend the outer cover, and thence the absorbent pad, can tear or otherwise damage the tissue of the absorbent pad. Since the absorbent pad is typically a sealed enclosure, namely an absorbent core enclosed within the combination of an outer cover tissue and a bodyside liner tissue, tearing the absorbent pad, namely either the outer cover tissue or the bodyside liner tissue, can release superabsorbent particles and other absorbent core materials into contact with the body of the wearer. Such materials can irritate the skin of the wearer, and such release indicates failure of the absorbent article to perform properly. Therefore, it is highly desirable to find a way to prevent tearing or other structural failure of the absorbent pad in absorbent articles which use an extensible outer cover and an extensible bodyside liner.